Posts Tagged 'Game Design'
No Exit: How Games Can Change Us
Rule 1: Get a group of three or more people. I was sitting in the second row, listening to Eric Zimmerman talk at IndieCade. I had arrived late as a result of drinking too much the night before and ended
No Exit: How Games Can Change Us
Rule 1: Get a group of three or more people. I was sitting in the second row, listening to Eric Zimmerman talk at IndieCade. I had arrived late as a result of drinking too much the night before and ended
Blizzard and Bioware's MMOs: Telling Stories From Opposite Directions
There’s a lot of presumption out there that MMORPGs can’t or don’t tell stories like their single-player counterparts. Me, I think it’s nonsense. Maybe that was true in the past. It isn’t now.
In fact, I’ve been amazed at how much they’ve evolved from oldschool monster-clubbing. Somehow, some way, MMOs started telling stories. Final Fantasy XI has character-focused missions bound together into a grand narrative, Age of Conan has its early-game switches between single-player and multiplayer, and Guild Wars has its hub-and-instance structure. Dungeons and Dragons Online actually has a narrator. Storytelling’s gotten big, and storytelling choices has become key to differentiation within the genre.
Even World of Warcraft (WoW) has evolved into a story-focused game.
Blizzard and Bioware's MMOs: Telling Stories From Opposite Directions
There’s a lot of presumption out there that MMORPGs can’t or don’t tell stories like their single-player counterparts. Me, I think it’s nonsense. Maybe that was true in the past. It isn’t now.
In fact, I’ve been amazed at how much they’ve evolved from oldschool monster-clubbing. Somehow, some way, MMOs started telling stories. Final Fantasy XI has character-focused missions bound together into a grand narrative, Age of Conan has its early-game switches between single-player and multiplayer, and Guild Wars has its hub-and-instance structure. Dungeons and Dragons Online actually has a narrator. Storytelling’s gotten big, and storytelling choices has become key to differentiation within the genre.
Even World of Warcraft (WoW) has evolved into a story-focused game.
Don't Believe the Hype
What we believe and how we behave aren’t always in sync. In an ideal world people would act in ways supporting their beliefs and ideas, but the reality of it is that we live in a world of tangled webs
Don't Believe the Hype
What we believe and how we behave aren’t always in sync. In an ideal world people would act in ways supporting their beliefs and ideas, but the reality of it is that we live in a world of tangled webs
What do bosses do?
The first boss I remember fighting was Doctor Robotnik at the end of Sonic 2‘s first level. I couldn’t beat him; I was six, and I hadn’t played a lot of video games that required twitch skills; I’d mostly played
What do bosses do?
The first boss I remember fighting was Doctor Robotnik at the end of Sonic 2‘s first level. I couldn’t beat him; I was six, and I hadn’t played a lot of video games that required twitch skills; I’d mostly played
10 terrible things from Mass Effect 2: game design hell
What makes a game good? It has to have the whole package. Sadly, Mass Effect 2 lacks in every category and the game’s design is no exception.
With Mass Effect 3’s demo coming out in less than a week, I’m revisiting Mass Effect 2 in a four part series. This second post takes a look at some of the awful choices made in the construction of the game and its mechanics. We’ll follow up with a post examining the writing and concluding with the five worst elements of Mass Effect 2.
10: Waking up in a room and fighting a bunch of robots.
So, you wake up in a room with no memory beyond the brief interactive cut-scene that failed to explain how you survived falling from orbit. Then you get the standard new game walk-through, which involves fighting a bunch of personality-free robots that have, unsurprisingly, gone rogue.
Why is there absolutely no value in the beginning of the game?
10 terrible things from Mass Effect 2: game design hell
What makes a game good? It has to have the whole package. Sadly, Mass Effect 2 lacks in every category and the game’s design is no exception.
With Mass Effect 3’s demo coming out in less than a week, I’m revisiting Mass Effect 2 in a four part series. This second post takes a look at some of the awful choices made in the construction of the game and its mechanics. We’ll follow up with a post examining the writing and concluding with the five worst elements of Mass Effect 2.
10: Waking up in a room and fighting a bunch of robots.
So, you wake up in a room with no memory beyond the brief interactive cut-scene that failed to explain how you survived falling from orbit. Then you get the standard new game walk-through, which involves fighting a bunch of personality-free robots that have, unsurprisingly, gone rogue.
Why is there absolutely no value in the beginning of the game?
Pacman Creator Toru Iwatani Sends Cautionary Message To The Industry
Game Career Guide has an elucidating interview with Pacman creator, Toru Iwatani, in which the designer talks speaks about Pacman and game design. What stood out to me was his rationale for sharing his thoughts on how to design a
Pacman Creator Toru Iwatani Sends Cautionary Message To The Industry
Game Career Guide has an elucidating interview with Pacman creator, Toru Iwatani, in which the designer talks speaks about Pacman and game design. What stood out to me was his rationale for sharing his thoughts on how to design a
The Coolest Blog on the Internet
Not us, no. Gamestorm has been making the rounds on ye olde internet lately, and frankly it’s a fantastic place. What it is is a collection of early game design documents, that have on them a wealth of cool snippets
The Coolest Blog on the Internet
Not us, no. Gamestorm has been making the rounds on ye olde internet lately, and frankly it’s a fantastic place. What it is is a collection of early game design documents, that have on them a wealth of cool snippets
The pre-boss fight: giving our nemesis context
[Contains SPOILERS for Assassin’s Creed 2, Knights of the Old Republic, and Bioshock. Consider yourself warned.] I recently completed a play-through of Assassin’s Creed 2, which left me with a rather negative taste in my mouth. Part of it had to do with
The pre-boss fight: giving our nemesis context
[Contains SPOILERS for Assassin’s Creed 2, Knights of the Old Republic, and Bioshock. Consider yourself warned.] I recently completed a play-through of Assassin’s Creed 2, which left me with a rather negative taste in my mouth. Part of it had to do with
Alan Wake Writer Blames Ludonarrative Dissonance on Game Expectations
Ah, ludonarrative dissonance: we’re all familiar with it. It’s the disconnect between the narrative and ‘play’ aspects of a game. Think, for example, how Nathan Drake is characterized as a likeable good guy and yet we spend all game killing
Alan Wake Writer Blames Ludonarrative Dissonance on Game Expectations
Ah, ludonarrative dissonance: we’re all familiar with it. It’s the disconnect between the narrative and ‘play’ aspects of a game. Think, for example, how Nathan Drake is characterized as a likeable good guy and yet we spend all game killing